Poland calls for US sanctions to be imposed on Nord Stream 2

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on January 29 that Poland would welcome new of US sanctions over the planned Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline linking Russia and Germany.

Morawiecki seemed to be responding to the statement made by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who on 27 January called the Nord Stream 2 pipeline a threat to European energy security. Poland, Ukraine and the Baltic States are concerned that the construction of Nord Stream 2 will increase Europe's dependence on Russian gas, as well as strengthen the position of Russian Gazprom energy giant on the European gas market. Germany and Austria, on the other hand, see the possibility of bringing cheap gas to Europe without having to construct new energy infrastructure. Despite support for the construction of the so-called Southern gas corridor (or East Med Pipeline) or the construction of new liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, Russian gas still has no economically acceptable alternative for Western European countries.